The corner office can be a lonely place. With decreasing tenures and increasing demands, today's CEOs face unprecedented challenges in leading their organizations. While McKinsey's groundbreaking research in "CEO Excellence" reveals six fundamental mindsets for success, what truly stands out are the counterintuitive lessons beneath the surface.
In the dynamic and demanding landscape of modern leadership, the power of connections is often overlooked. Yet, it's the threads of relationships that weave together the fabric of our success. Your network isn't just a collection of names; it's a reservoir of knowledge, support, and opportunity. By strategically building and nurturing your leadership network, you can unlock doors, amplify your impact, and drive your career forward.
In the dynamic and competitive landscape of modern business, the success of an organization is inextricably linked to the capabilities of its leadership. While external factors such as market trends and technological advancements play a significant role, the quality and development of leaders are the driving forces behind long-term sustainability. Let’s explore the critical importance of leadership development in fostering company growth and resilience.
Leaders are often cast as the architects of their own destinies, expected to build empires while maintaining an idyllic personal life. The concept of work-life balance, a term laden with equal parts aspiration and unattainable perfection, has become a modern-day myth. Yet, thriving in this high-stakes world is not about achieving equilibrium, but rather, about cultivating a dynamic harmony.
As a strategic business coach, I work with leadership teams daily. We focus on crafting winning strategies, building high-performing teams, and achieving ambitious goals. But what separates the truly exceptional teams (and leaders) from the merely good ones? Often, it comes down to a skill set that goes beyond traditional business acumen: emotional intelligence (EQ).
In this month’s episode, Jill taps into the wisdom of her longtime friend, Michelle Seitz, Chairman and CEO of Russell Investments. They discuss leading through a crisis like the world experienced in 2020, lessons that will be carried into the future, and what Michelle hopes to be known for as a leader.
We’ve learned a lot of lessons in 2020. The best leaders tell us that focusing on Organizational Health of the company is more important than ever. Organizational Health gives you the competitive edge you need and will help you weather whatever turmoil lies ahead.
What is Organizational Health? It’s the way a company aligns around a common vision and strategy, executes with excellence, and engages with its employees. According to a recent McKinsey study, healthy organizations are outperforming their competition at every level and delivering 3x total return to their shareholders.
As we head into the last month of Q3, many economists and business forecasters remain optimistic about the recovery post COVID-19. Most expect a slow uptick in Q3 and Q4 with a more visible rebound in 2021.
Yet every note of optimism comes with a flashing red-light disclaimer: No one really knows how long the world will be wrestling with the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. For business leaders, this uncertainty creates a conundrum: How do we strike the right balance between optimism and reality? How do we avoid over- or under-reacting?
There’s no doubt: These past four months have taken a toll on us all. This has been especially true for CEOs who have been putting on brave faces for their teams in the wake of unprecedented economic turmoil and ongoing uncertainty. As Greg Brenneman said, “the job of leaders is to absorb fear and exude hope.” But this is exhausting.
You’ve been carrying the weight of your company around, fighting for short-term survival and looking for long-term opportunities to secure the future of the company. It has required a brand-new executive tool kit — more effective communications with your team and customers, a new level of empathy, rethinking the customer experience and so much more. You may be feeling anxious, depressed, frustrated or just simply worn out. Someone recently compared it to PTSD.
As I’ve often shared, every organization’s growth plan starts with your leadership team. You need a strong, aligned, high-performing team in place to execute on your strategy.
Once you have the right people in place, are you giving them the freedom they need to thrive as leaders? Are you pushing them to think — and act — like CEOs?
